EN1320 WEEK 3 LAB
Ryan Stephens
EN1320
04/13/2015
Rhetorical Analysis of
“I have a dream speech”
The main point of Dr. Kings speech was that an injustice had been done to the black people. They were promised freedom from the emancipation proclamation, and up to that point they still were not free. They were segregated and treated like second class citizens. Were they supposed to just sit down and let white men at that time humiliate them, beat them, bomb their houses, and strip them of human dignity? NO! Dr. King was preaching to all who listened, that now was the time to metaphorically cash this check, a check that will give them upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. But to do this, not with violence or retaliation, “we must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence “ (bourne, 1998). This would be the way Dr. King would want to see his dream played out, with non-violence. Were all his efforts done in vain? On August 28, 1963, The March on Washington was organized by Bayard Rustin and led by union leader A. Philip Randolph. The backdrop ironically took place on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. President Lincoln was the man who issued the executive order, the emancipation proclamation, which theoretically freed the slaves but up to that point in time African Americans were still not free. At the march, 200,000 Black, white, celebrity, and clergy of faith were present. This is where Martin Luther King Jr gave his speech that is regarded one of the greatest speeches ever given. (Washington for jobs and freedom, nd) The declaration of independence and the constitution was written for all men as a promissory note that all men were entitled to. This note stated that all men would be guaranteed the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. (ABC, 2013) In the reasoning to the people Dr. King used a metaphor
EN1320
04/13/2015
Rhetorical Analysis of
“I have a dream speech”
The main point of Dr. Kings speech was that an injustice had been done to the black people. They were promised freedom from the emancipation proclamation, and up to that point they still were not free. They were segregated and treated like second class citizens. Were they supposed to just sit down and let white men at that time humiliate them, beat them, bomb their houses, and strip them of human dignity? NO! Dr. King was preaching to all who listened, that now was the time to metaphorically cash this check, a check that will give them upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. But to do this, not with violence or retaliation, “we must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence “ (bourne, 1998). This would be the way Dr. King would want to see his dream played out, with non-violence. Were all his efforts done in vain? On August 28, 1963, The March on Washington was organized by Bayard Rustin and led by union leader A. Philip Randolph. The backdrop ironically took place on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. President Lincoln was the man who issued the executive order, the emancipation proclamation, which theoretically freed the slaves but up to that point in time African Americans were still not free. At the march, 200,000 Black, white, celebrity, and clergy of faith were present. This is where Martin Luther King Jr gave his speech that is regarded one of the greatest speeches ever given. (Washington for jobs and freedom, nd) The declaration of independence and the constitution was written for all men as a promissory note that all men were entitled to. This note stated that all men would be guaranteed the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. (ABC, 2013) In the reasoning to the people Dr. King used a metaphor
Cited: ABC. (2013, 08 27). Martin Luther King 's speech: 'I have a dream. Retrieved from ABC News: http://abcnews.go.com/politics/martin-luther-kings-speech-dream-full-text/story?id=14358231 bourne, C. C. (1998). The autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. New York: Warner Books. NAACP. (2012). DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. Retrieved from National Association fot the advancment of Colored People: http://www.naacp.org/pages/king?source=BSDAds_googlesearch_Martin%20Luther%20King_Dream_I%20Have%20a%20Dream%20Speech_Phrase_13683507433&gclid=COWzxYqf9LMCFemiPAodVGIAwQ Washington for jobs and freedom. (nd, nd nd). Retrieved from Martin Luther King, JR. and the Global Struggle: http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/index.php/encyclopedia/enc_march_on_washington_for_jobs_and_freedom/